


(gotta feeling by the time the night meets the morning) i'm gonna wish i had a storm warning

by evidenceofthingsnotseen



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: F/F, okay there's no explicit ghosts in this but its also not exactly au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:14:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27512902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evidenceofthingsnotseen/pseuds/evidenceofthingsnotseen
Summary: Weather rolls in at Bly. At first the rain offers entertainment for the kids, but a storm drags up memories.
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 22
Kudos: 168





	(gotta feeling by the time the night meets the morning) i'm gonna wish i had a storm warning

**Author's Note:**

> I swear this is the last thing I'm writing for a while unless these ideas keep percolating and not leaving me alone

“There’s going to be weather.”

Dani turns around at the sound of Jamie’s voice. She stands in the classroom, watching Flora and Miles read quietly, as Henry had requested they do occasionally, to stay sharp between school terms. Jamie leans against the doorway, looking sweaty and uncomfortable.

“How do you know?”

Jamie shrugs. “It’s hot and humid outside, but the wind is picking up. We’re due for it.”

“Is it raining?” Flora asks from behind her. Dani watches as she carefully places her bookmark between the pages of her book.

Jamie smiles at her. “Not yet. But when it does, ask Miss Clayton nicely and she might let you splash in the puddles.”

Dani shoots a glare at Jamie when Flora and Miles light up at the suggestion. “Only if Miss Taylor accompanies you. I have no desire to go out and get wet.”

“Beg to differ,” Jamie mumbles under breath. Dani’s eyes widen at the implication and she smacks her girlfriend.

“I thought we weren’t allowed to hit,” Miles sneers. Jamie snickers.

“You’re right, Miles,” Dani agrees diplomatically, turning to Jamie. “I’m sorry I hit you.”

“Apology accepted.” Jamie goes along with her lead-by-example lesson in manners. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll make it up to me.”

Dani scoffs at the joke that, once again, flies over the children’s heads. Outside, rain starts to fall, streaking down the classroom window. Miles and Flora look from the window back to her hopefully. “Go on, get your raincoats and boots on.”

The pair give an excited cheer and race to their bedrooms. Jamie grins at her smugly. Dani rolls her eyes and slips past her, into the hallway. After a few steps, she feels Jamie’s arms wrap around her waist and she stops, smiling contently. Jamie presses a kiss to her cheek and they stand there for a moment until the children pop out of their bedrooms. 

“We’re ready!” Miles announces, looking like a little fisherman in his bright yellow slicker and boots. 

“Almost.” Dani waves a hand at Flora. “Come here.”

Flora comes forward dutifully and Dani tucks her braid into her hood so her hair doesn’t get soaked. On an impulse, she pulls Flora into a quick hug before releasing her. The four of them make their way through the manor towards the front door.

“You lot ready?” Jamie asks, pulling on her own raincoat. 

“Yes!” Miles and Flora respond in unison. Dani’s heart swells. It’s the most these two have acted like children since she arrived. In this moment, the grief of losing their parents doesn’t hang over them quite so heavily. 

“And we’re off!” Jamie swings open the front door to reveal a veritable downpour. She leads the children like a mother duck out onto the driveway, tipping her head back to embrace the rain. The children follow suit.

“What’s going on? Why’s the door open?” Hannah’s voice rings behind Dani. She steps aside to reveal the scene. Hannah grins. Dani wonders if she knows just how warm and lovely her smile is. “Jamie pretends not to like them, but then she does something like that.”

“She loves them,” Dani agrees. “And they love her.”

Hannah hums a little. “Come on into the kitchen. You can take a break while they play.”

Dani almost wants to say no, looking at the scene unfolding before her. Jamie, arms out, spinning, with her head reverently facing the sky, and the children, copying her and shrieking with joy. Still, she shuts the door and follows Hannah to the kitchen. Owen brews them a cup of tea, then checks on the roast chicken in the oven. 

Dani luxuriates in the extended break, listening quietly to Hannah and Owen’s casual conversation. After an hour, she hears the door open. She and Hannah both spring to their feet.

Hannah takes off quickly towards the door. “No one move a muscle. You won’t be tracking mud into this house.”

Jamie freezes in a funny statuesque pose, taking Hannah’s instruction literally, which makes Flora laugh. Dani laughs too, and helps the three of them out of their raincoats and boots, throwing them into the mud room to be dealt with later. 

Despite their coats, the kids are still soaked to the bone. Dani leads them upstairs and straight to the bath. When they both come out, she brushes Flora’s hair and they head back to the kitchen. Jamie appears, also having showered and changed, and they settle at the table. Jamie pours Dani a glass of water and holds her hand throughout the meal, which is easy enough to eat one handed, as Owen has made a delicious chicken noodle soup.

“Did you all have fun in the rain?” Owen asks the children goodnaturedly. Flora nods vigorously.

“It’s much more fun than reading,” Miles says sincerely. Dani beams at him and he smiles back at her, a rare and welcome sight. 

There’s a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder that shakes the windows, making Flora shriek and the lights flicker. It’s gone as fast as it came. 

“It’s alright, dear.” Hannah reaches for her hand. “Just a storm.”

“She doesn’t like storms.” Miles puffs up his chest like a protective big brother, but Dani sees through it. There’s a wobble in his speech that betrays their shared fear.

“Really? Storms always help me sleep.” Dani tries to distract Flora, whose eyes shine with frightened tears. “Speaking of which, you both need to get to bed.”

There’s a chorus of agreement. Dani stands and shows them how to correctly put their cleaned plates in the sink.

“Are you two driving home in this?” Dani asks Jamie and Owen.

“Better not risk it.” Jamie, with her still-damp hair, looks none too upset to be staying the night. 

“That’s good.” Dani tears her eyes away to address everyone. “Goodnight, all.”

The group exchanges goodnights and Dani follows the children upstairs. Miles climbs into bed without a fuss, but Flora stills looks nervous at the prospect of being left alone. 

“Go on,” Dani nods. Flora climbs into her bed and Dani tucks the blankets tight around her. “There, perfectly safe.”

Flora nods, seeming only half-convinced. Dani smiles at her childlike attempt at bravery. “If you need me, I’m right across the hall.”

“Goodnight, Miss Clayton,” Flora whispers, while Miles echoes from his side of their Jack-and-Jill bedroom. 

“Goodnight, kids.”

Dani closes the door behind her and wipes away an errant tear. How these children have stolen her heart so quickly, she’ll never know. But, gosh, is she tired. And Jamie is probably waiting for her. Another fraction of her heart that is held by someone else.

She crosses the few steps to her room and starts pulling off her clothes. She slips on her nightgown and slides into bed, where Jamie is facing the window. She wraps an arm around her and presses a goodnight kiss to the nape of her neck.

“Their parents died in a storm,” Jamie whispers gravely. “Dominic and Charlotte. They were in a private jet, got caught in a really bad storm. Crashed in the Himalayas. Them, and the pilot, dead on impact.”

“Oh, that’s horrible,” Dani gasps. She had never actually known how the Wingraves had met their end, just that it happened while they were traveling. It was no wonder Flora hated storms. 

“It is.” Jamie nestles back closer into Dani, which she welcomes. Before long, they fall into easy sleep, aided by the constant roll of thunder. 

* * *

Dani isn’t sure if it’s minutes or hours later when her door opens and Flora comes barreling into the room, crying hysterically. Dani operates almost on autopilot as she sits up and pulls Flora into her arms. Flora buries her tear-streaked face into her neck and hangs on tight. Dani slides back and leans against the headboard.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” she whispers, knowing it very well is not. Jamie sits up too, watching them. Dani strokes her hair and continues to whisper sweet lies into Flora’s ear, like she wished her mother had for her when her father died.

When Flora finally slows her heaving breaths enough to talk, she leans back and stutters out the most heartbreaking thing Dani thinks she’s ever heard. “I...I dreamed that the storm got all of you and I...I was the only one left. And then the...the storm woke me up and I thought it was real…”

“Oh, sweetheart, no, we’re all okay,” Dani assures her. It’s then that Jamie speaks up.

“Why don’t I go check on everyone, huh?” she offers. “You stay here with Miss Clayton and I’ll go make the rounds and then I’ll come back.”

Flora looks a little more calmed at this notion and nods. Jamie gives Dani a quick kiss and leaps out of bed. Flora’s red rimmed eyes look so tired, so Dani pulls her towards her chest once more. 

Dani listens to Jamie’s soft padding through the halls and recognizes, with a soft smile, that Jamie really is checking on everyone, not just walking about for a moment to ease Flora’s mind. When she returns, she has Miles in tow.

“Look who I found,” she says softly. Flora turns her head to look and sighs. 

“Did you have a bad dream, too?”

Miles looks a little indignant at that, but it does not quell the obvious fear that radiates from him. His voice shakes when he responds. “No, I came looking for you. I heard you crying.”

“Oh, well, thank you, Miles.” Flora’s overly formal response almost forces a chuckle out of Dani, but the urge is overwhelmed by the sweetness of the two of them. It’s not unlike she and Eddie at that age, before their friendship had been complicated by a love she couldn’t reciprocate.

“I think we’re having a sleepover,” Jamie starts, glancing at Dani. She nods. There’s no way she’s going to convince Flora to sleep in her own bed tonight. “Would you like to stay too?”

Miles looks instantly relieved at the prospect, but schools his face into one of concern. “Yes, but only for Flora’s sake.”

“Right,” Jamie agrees, shooting an empathetic glance to Dani. Dani is suddenly very glad her room is outfitted with a king sized bed. Jamie reaches for the corner of the duvet and lifts it. “All aboard.”

Miles scrambles into bed and Dani slides forward and carefully lays down with Flora still on top of her. Once flat, Flora slides to her side opposite Miles. Dani turns and presses a kiss to his temple and does the same for Flora. 

Jamie slides in and leans over Miles to collect her own goodnight kiss, then settles back into the pillow. For a moment, Dani wonders if this is what it would be like to have kids with Jamie, the four of them piled into one big bed. She stays awake until all three are asleep, reveling in the warmth and comfort they share, then finally yawns and feels sleep overtake her.

* * *

In the morning, Dani wakes to Jamie looking at her like she’s the eighth wonder of the world. Flora and Miles cling to each of her arms and Dani is well and truly trapped but she cannot find it in herself to be annoyed.

“I know I said Poppins,” Jamie says softly so as not to wake them. “But you’re really more Maria Von Trapp.”

Dani finds herself agreeing. The other Julie Andrews governess figure is much more fitting. A young woman who can’t seem to fit where she is, who becomes something of a mother to motherless children. Definitely more accurate than ‘practically perfect in every way.’

“Does that make Henry Captain Von Trapp?” she teases. Jamie wrinkles her nose.

“Not a chance.” Jamie presses a kiss to her shoulder. “I think I’d like to command these kids around with just a whistle.”

“Can you please not be all lovey dovey when we’re right here?” Miles groans. Flora giggles and Dani looks just in time to see her eyes slam shut, like she’s still feigning sleep. Dani laughs and pushes back the covers.

“Watch it,” Jamie barks, “or I’ll tickle you til you say uncle.”

The scene devolves into one of screaming laughs, of both kids pinned down and shrieking while being tickled mercilessly, until Dani takes pity and releases them to go get ready for the day. Jamie catches her breath by collapsing into her lap and Dani’s chest feels like it might burst from the distinct feeling of home.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, let me know what y'all think


End file.
